State officials say Byrne will create a temporary installation in the Great Hall of the Battery Maritime Building, which is next to the Whitehall Ferry Terminal.

The "Playing the Building" installation will include devices attached to ceiling beams, plumbing, electrical conduits and other parts of the structure. Sound will be produced through vibration, making the building function as an instrument.

The installation and a new waiting room for ferry passengers are set to open in late May.

Byrne, 55, has forged a solo career as a musician and visual artist since the New Wave band Talking Heads stopped making records in the 1980s.